Click on image for video:
Albany, NY, January 25, 2010 (see previous posts below): While approximately 500 people were inside the Convention Center (under The Egg), a group of demonstrators paused on the New York State Capitol Building’s steps — despite the rain and 40 mph gusts — demanding a “STATEWIDE BAN” on unconventional gas drilling.
Tags: Albany, rally, statewide ban
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Tags: Albany, rally, statewide ban
The 01/25/2010 Albany West Capitol Park Rally of over 500 people
opposed to unconventional gas drilling was moved inside, under the Egg
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DEC workers supporting 01/25 people’s protest of the DEC’s dSGEIS (door Stop Giving Extraction Industry Shelter)… The dSGEIS concluded that cumulative effects of tens or hundreds of thousands of toxic waste production sites would not have a cumulative effect worth considering.
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Demonstrators chanting “No fracking way!” and “Statewide ban!”
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Joan Tubridy (CDOG) speaking, with Chief Oren Lyons (Onondaga Nation) by her side. Both support a statewide ban on unconventional gas drilling. Chief Lyons called upon political leaders to consider the impact of their decisions upon the next seven generations. When Tubridy finished her listing of reasons why we should have a statewide ban, those assembled at the rally loudly chanted “Statewide ban!” for a full minute.
Tags: Albany, rally, statewide ban
Activists for statewide ban on toxic waste producing gas drilling disrupt DEC dSGEIS hearing in NYC
(New York City, 11/10) A burgeoning movement to counter proposals for a two-tiered standard of environmental protection from shale gas drilling in New York State erupted in the first New York City DEC hearing on the proposed State regulations. The filled-to-capacity hearing began – as usual – with elected officials testifying, with clear intent that they would leave before listening to the hours of testimony for a statewide ban by New York City residents. But as Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler introduced his divisive approach of protecting only a small portion of the State’s vast environment, a city representative of the movement for a statewide ban on the dangerous practice walked up onto the stage.
Taking the stage, Alex Johnson, a life-long resident of New York City, declared to much applause, “We want a statewide ban. We don’t need hearings to regulate this. Gas drilling is dangerous and we need to ban it. We stand with thousands of New Yorkers –and most of you here tonight– in demanding a statewide ban on the use of the destructive fossil fuel extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing in New York’s Marcellus and other shales.”
Alluding to the rally for a statewide ban and the simultaneous press conference by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer to ban drilling in the “New York City watershed” Johnson emphasized, “We reject the divisive call for a ban for New York City’s water by slippery politicians and corporate environmental organizations. We call on elected officials to represent the clear opinions of experts and citizens that this process is too dangerous to allow anywhere in New York State.”
Many New Yorkers in the audience applauded and continued to speak out. Wendy Malcom of the Safe Water Movement stood up in the audience calling for recognition that the DEC hearing was merely to facilitate drilling. “Don’t Frack New York State,” Ms. Malcom chanted. “Groups across the state including the Haudenosaunee Iroquois Confederation declared they would not participate in the drilling hearing because the DEC is using the hearings to promote gas drilling. Our communities and the planet are facing a climate catastrophe that requires Governor Paterson to ban gas drilling and promote a transition to 100% renewables within 10 years.”
Fifty-one (51) organizations across New York State (many based in New York City) have declared their support of a statewide ban as expressed in the recently released petition.
Johnson shouted as he was being escorted that “the DEC is mandated to facilitate even environmentally disastrous gas exploration and drilling in our State. Governor Paterson can ban this process. The electorate must reclaim control over the commons, to protect our water supplies from irreversible contamination, and to develop sustainable energy alternatives.”
The intervention by the twenty activists was met with much applause. Some were escorted from the hearing place.
For more information, go to www.un-naturalgas.org
For interviews, call: Laura Sheinkopf, 516.314.0011
To NYC statewide drilling ban activists -
from your fellow fighters upstate,
t h a n k y o u
DELAWARE-OTSEGO AUDUBON SOCIETY
PO Box 544, ONEONTA, NY 13820
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/2/09
AUDUDON GROUP OPPOSES HYDROFRACTURING, CALLS PROCESS AN UNACCEPTABLE DANGER
The Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society has announced its opposition to hydrofracturing gas exploration and production in our region. In a recent statement released by the group, DOAS also calls on NY State to permanently ban the practice.
Dangers to humans, wildlife, and water resources were cited as primary reasons the group finds hydrofracking unacceptable. The statement details multiple areas of concern created by injecting hundreds of millions of gallons of water treated with toxic chemicals under ground at extremely high pressures.
“After a careful review, our board of directors found it unacceptable to expose present and future generations to the contamination produced by this drilling technique,” said DOAS president Tom Salo. The group’s statement calls hydrofracking ” . . . an assault on the very resources that sustain life,” and says, “this damage will remain for millennia, and will threaten unseen future generations, as well as present-day humans and wildlife.”
Other reasons cited for the group’s opposition include wildlife and social impacts from noise and air pollution, large water withdrawals, and damage to habitats and roads from pipelines and wells.
The DOAS statement reads “Hundreds of wells are anticipated for our area, and this may change the region to a permanent industrial landscape. Potential contamination and depletion of water, and pollution of air, soil, and of farm and forest ecosystems could destroy the many resources available today. Water withdrawal and contamination are of special concern. The fragmentation and loss of habitats, and the disturbances of noise and traffic will have an adverse affect on birds and other wildlife, some already in precipitous decline.”
A recently released impact statement from the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation is insufficient to overcome the fundamental threats from hydrofracking, according to DOAS Director Jean T. Miller. “How can we engineer away permanent physical changes and poisoning of the earth?” she said. “We are trading a few more years of fossil fuels for tens of thousands of years of damaged and tainted ground below us.”
Regarding the DEC proposal, DOAS’ statement reads, “Even with the most stringent controls and oversight, this activity is an unacceptable danger to our planet, with no environmental benefits.”
The Audubon group is calling upon the state of New York to permanently ban hydrofracking. “In our view, there is no way this can be done without serious and long-term negative impacts,” said Salo. DOAS is urging the public and their members to contact DEC on the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement before November 30. Comments should be sent to
dSGEIS Comments,
Bureau of Oil & Gas Regulation, NYSDEC Division of Mineral
Resources, 625 Broadway, Third Floor, Albany, NY 12233-6500,
or submitted on-line at DEC’s website.
The DOAS position on gas drilling and hydrofracking wells can be found on their website <http://www.doas.us/>www.doas.us.
Tags: ban, hydraulic fracturing, NYS
Public Hearing on the dSGEIS to be held in Oneonta,
Foothills Performing Arts Center, Atrium
Monday, November 9, 7:00 to 9:30 pm
Doors open at 6:00 pm
Local hearing for public comment on DEC’s Draft of the SGEIS
October 30, 2009, Oneonta, NY. The City of Oneonta and Otsego County together are holding a public hearing for citizens to voice concerns about the proposed regulations governing gas drilling in New York State. Through the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining (SGEIS), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) defines the safeguards drilling companies must take to preserve the quality of our groundwater, and how the DEC will monitor compliance.
DEC is holding hearings in other parts of the state, but officials in Oneonta and Otsego County feel it is important to hold a more locally accessible meeting. This is an urgent need as many property owners throughout the county have signed leases and drilling has begun on two wells. Recent drilling accidents in Pennsylvania have caused concern among local citizens. The quality of the SGEIS will have a major impact on the quality and quantity of the water in our lakes, rivers, aquifers and wells.
Governor Paterson requested that the DEC develop a supplemental GEIS because the process of drilling that is coming to New York State is dramatically different from traditional gas drilling. Hydrofracturing horizontally drilled wells involves highly toxic chemicals that even in very small quantities can poison our water. This makes it vital that the laws governing the process be rigorous. The comment period, ending November 30, is the final opportunity for input on the document. It is imperative that we provide the most comprehensive feedback possible to make the regulations rigorous.
Experts, environmental organizations, and landowners have expressed concerns not only on many specific items in the draft, but also on the insufficient consideration of the cumulative impacts. The DEC is required to consider all substantive comments before issuing the final SGEIS. Comments at this meeting should be in one of the categories the DEC considers substantive. This includes: definition of the project; definition of each issue & conclusions about its impact; methods of mitigation; implementation. For example, substantive comments would include topics such as whether the DEC: looks only at individual well sites without assessing impact of a significant number of wells statewide; adequately addresses the impact of this scale of water withdrawals; proposes sufficient baseline water testing; requires the rate of drilling of new wells be done in phases.
Read the parts of the 804 page document that are of most concern to you. It is available on the DEC website at www.dec.ny.gov/energy/58440.html , or you can see a printout at the Huntington Library.
ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
SUBJECT:
Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement governing natural gas drilling.
.
PURPOSE:
To solicit public input on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement governing natural gas drilling.
.
ALBANY
Thursday
October 15, 2009
9:00 a.m.
Assembly Parlor
New York State Capitol – Room 306
Thursday
October 15, 2009
9:00 a.m.
Assembly Parlor
New York State Capitol – Room 306
.
On September 30, 2009, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released a draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) regarding well permit issuance for horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing to develop the Marcellus shale and other low-permeability gas reserves. The purpose of this hearing is to solicit public input on the draft SGEIS.
Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committee at the above hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation. Oral testimony will be limited to ten minutes’ duration. Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.
In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.
Robert K. Sweeney
Member of Assembly
Chairman
Committee on Environmental Conservation
Member of Assembly
Chairman
Committee on Environmental Conservation
.
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2 weeks to read 800 pages
2 hours to drive to Albany
10 minutes to present comment
hmmmm……
From http://www.citizenscampaign.org/
=======================================
CITIZENS CAMPAIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
ACTION ALERT!
TELL ALBANY TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE AND PROTECT WATER
The public needs 120 days to review massive new draft oil and gas drilling regulations
On September 30, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) finally released the long-awaited Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DSGEIS) for Oil & Gas Drilling in New York. The document is over 800 pages long, and Albany is only giving the people 60 days to review it. Tell Albany it cannot ignore the people! New Yorkers must be able to understand and weigh in on this issue. Meaningful input from the public is essential for a healthy democracy.
Tell Albany to give New Yorkers 120 days to comment on this massive program that will affect our environment for decades.
The huge oil and gas industry is pressuring Albany to open up for drilling in the state. New Yorkers cannot afford to rush through a process that will affect the health of our precious water resources for decades to come. Unconventional drilling from high volume hydraulic fracturing uses millions of gallons of water. Only a few days ago, Cabot Oil & Gas in Pennsylvania was shut down for chemical spills. New York’s elected officials need to proceed with caution and take extraordinary steps to ensure the protection of New York’s most valuable natural resource, freshwater. Albany must hold at least 7 public hearings in the affected regions of the state and allow adequate time for the people to comment.
Information from the NYS DEC on the DSGEIS can be found here:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/47554.html.
What You Can Do!
Call Governor Paterson, DEC Commissioner Grannis, and your state Assembly member and senator to demand that Albany does not rush to accommodate the oil & gas industry, and allows the people of New York to weigh in on their future!
Phone call tips:
Tell them:
- Your name and your town/city.
- The DEC must extend the oil and gas drilling comment period to 120 days.
- The DEC must hold at least 7 public hearings in affected regions, including New York City.
Please call:
- Governor Paterson: 518-474-8390
- DEC Commissioner Grannis: 518-402-8545
- Your NYS Assembly member: to find out who your Assembly member is and their phone number, visit: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
- Your NYS Senator: To find out who your Senator is and their phone number, visit:
http://www.nysenate.gov/senators
Thank you for taking action. Together we make a difference!
=========================================
800 pages / 60 days = 13.49 pages per day.
DEC says it intends to schedule “Public Information Sessions” - not hearings.
.
.
Dr Bill Pammer, then of the Sullivan County Planning Department, spoke at an event in Ithaca, NY on May 6, 2009. While discussing what local governments could do to protect their assets before intensive gas extraction begins, he said:
“The DEC is driving this process.
Regulators become part of the sectors they regulate.”
.
.
Abrahm Lustgarten/ProPublica:
New York State Paves Way
for Gas Drilling With
Release of Environmental Review
Nornew knew it all along; do the citizens of New York State?
See also the New York Times:
State Issues Rules on Upstate Natural Gas Drilling Near City’s Water
The DEC could not allow a ban on horizontal drilling / high-volume hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the Catskill/Delaware Watershed (also known as the NYC watershed) without admitting that HD/HVHF for natural gas is fundamentally unsafe – everywhere else in the state too.
New York City, if you want to protect your water,
you’re going to have to join
the fight to ban HD/HVHF statewide.
.
>> Come together, New York <<
.
http://www.un-naturalgas.org/hydraulic_fracturing_a-z.htm#NYCs%20water
.
Tags: DEC, NYC, NYS, ProPublica, SGEIS, watershed
The next step in the process of creating
“regulations clearing the way
for shale development”
(see http://www.cik.no/norse/081111/081111_norse.php, minute 23:41)
is upon us.
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From NYS DEC website:
Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental ImpactStatement On The Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program
Well Permit Issuance for Horizontal Drilling And High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing to Develop the Marcellus Shale and Other Low-Permeability Gas Reservoirs
The draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) for potential natural gas drilling activities in the Marcellus Shale formation is now available for public review and comment. The draft SGEIS supplements the existing Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) and analyzes the range of potential impacts of shale gas development using horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing. The draft SGEIS outlines safety measures, protection standards and mitigation strategies that operators would have to follow to obtain permits.
Comments – The public comment period will be open until November 30, 2009. The Department is offering three ways in which to submit comments. We have created an on line submission system which will allow you to write comments and tag them to your areas of concern. Attachments can also be included. You may submit e-mail comments; please include your name, e-mail or return mail address to ensure notice of the Final SGEIS when it is available. Finally, written comments should be sent to: Attn: dSGEIS Comments, Bureau of Oil & Gas Regulation, NYSDEC Division of Mineral Resources, 625 Broadway, Third Floor, Albany, NY 12233-6500.
Document Availability – At this time the document is offered as a PDF document that can be accessed by chapter below. The entire draft SGEIS document is also available as a single PDF file. It can be downloaded and searched.
-end of quote from DEC dSGEIS download page at http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/58440.html
=====================================
To send an e-mail to Governor Paterson telling him New Yorkers
must have a longer comment period, visit
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/90marcellusshale_2009?rk=J1NNvIKaKB48E
According to the press release linked below, DEC plans to announce scheduled “Public Information Sessions” as another option, besides those mentioned at its site as quoted above, for submitting comments on the draft SGEIS.
- Dimock, PA, approximately Thursday, 9/3:
A blowout occurs during drilling under a road and wetland for a gas pipeline, resulting in a large spill of drilling mud. Witnesses report a greasy, gray film running down a water body. Local people who hear about the blowout have difficulty getting the straight story, despite persistently asking questions of DEP and drilling company representatives. - Dimock, PA, Wednesday, 9/16, afternoon:
“At least a thousand” gallons of frack fluid escape from the Heitsman2 well site and run down into Stevens Creek. According to the fracturing subcontractor, Halliburton, the fluid contains carcinogenic substances. - Dimock, PA, Wednesday, 9/16, late evening:
A much larger spill of the same fluid occurs. Reports say the total volume of both spills the released frack fluids is as much as 8500 gallons. - Dimock, PA, Tuesday, 9/22
Another spill of the same fluid occurs. This one is of “hundreds of gallons.”
DEP reports fish swimming erratically and kills of small aquatic life.
On 9/22, after the third spill in a week’s time, DEP cites Cabot with 5 violations.
Following DEP’s action, the fish are still dead.
On 9/25, DEP orders Cabot to stop all hydraulic fracturing activities in Susquehanna County.
Reports indicate that, subsequent to DEP’s order, the fish are still dead.
. . . .
Why do regulating agencies pretend that physics pays any attention to regulations?
Why do they pretend that their disciplinary action is effective, when no disciplinary action can reverse the damage once it’s done?
On 9/30, the NYS DEC will issue its draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement, the next step in paving the way for New York to enjoy the benefits of industrial-scale gas drilling with horizontal drilling / high-volume hydraulic fracturing in low-permeability gas reservoirs.
The fish in our brooks and rivers are, for the time being, still alive. But it’s only a matter of time and physics – not regulation – before the same fate befalls them.
See:
http://www.timesleader.com/news/ap?articleID=2868477
http://www.wayneindependent.com/news/x1699593258/Third-natural-gas-chemical-spill-reported
http://www.wayneindependent.com/news/x1128380990/DEP-notes-5-violations-for-gas-drilling-spill
http://www.wnep.com/sns-ap-pa–gasdrilling-spill,0,7426305.story
http://www.ahs2.dep.state.pa.us/newsreleases/default.asp?ID=5676&varQueryType=Detail
http://www.ahs2.dep.state.pa.us/newsreleases/default.asp?ID=5678&varQueryType=Detail
Tags: contamination, dead, DEP, Dimock, Halliburton, hydraulic fracturing, PA, SGEIS, spill, wildlife
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